Sunset on the Farm

Sunset on the Farm, a photo by UpstateNYPhototaker on Flickr.

Every photographer has a favorite subject to shoot. While I don't know if I could ever pick just one, farms have to be near the top of that list for me.

Each barn tells a different story. With the state of farms today and the rate these treasures are lost you have to wonder if this barn will soon become another cookie cutter home.

This photos was shot near Palatine, NY in Montgomery County.

Sunset Road

Sunset Road, a photo by UpstateNYPhototaker on Flickr.

I went for a drive near Palatine, NY in search of a late summer scene or two to photograph. As I was driving down a rural road this beautiful late summer light was spread out in the road before me. I couldn't stop fast enough. I grabbed this shot with my 80-200 F/2.8 Nikkor.

Green Heron

Green Heron, a photo by UpstateNYPhototaker on Flickr.

I did more wrong here than I did right but I am fairly pleased with the result. I stopped at the Mill Pond Park in Charlton, NY this morning to see what I could photograph.

The Mill Pond is more or less a glorified swamp that is covered in neon green algae. It is usually chock full of frogs and is usually good for a Great Blue Heron sighting or perhaps a wood duck or two. I was lucky enough today to observe a pair of Green Herons hunting (successfully) for frogs. Unfortunately the successful frog hunting took place a little out of the reach of my 80-400 VR (I did get some sub-par shots).

Last night I was playing around with some of the settings on my camera and making some test shots and I left the camera on ISO 1600. That was the main mistake that I made here (not checking my settings) although without the higher shutter speed, this might have been blurrier. I was able to minimize the noise in post but there was nothing that I could do about taking a shot that was partially obstructed by leaves.

13th Brook

13th Brook, a photo by UpstateNYPhototaker on Flickr.

I haven't been posting much and for that I apologize. Summer is not my most active season as I HATE the heat and this has been a HOT one.

When I took this photo today in North River, NY it was in the low 60's and the mist from this small brook felt refreshing. Fall is definitely in the air and I couldn't be happier.

I don't want to say that I have put photography on the back burner lately but I have been trying my hand at making rustic furniture (yes more exerting than photography in this heat) and have managed to make a couple of nice benches. Hopefully you will see some photos of those coming up soon.

This photos was taken with the Sigma 10-20mm with use of a Cokin Polarizer. It was somewhat overcast and that allowed me to get the shutter speeds around 2 seconds, necessary to blur the water like this and not blow out the highlights. I hope you enjoy!

As always, if you see any of my images that interest you, check out my Zenfolio website at: Stephenpuliafico.com

From the Porch of the Neilson House

From the Porch of the Neilson House, a photo by UpstateNYPhototaker on Flickr.

I took a ride to Saratoga National Historical Park the other night hoping to make some sunset photos using the Neilson House as a subject and possibly feature some of the cannons as well.

I hadn't been to the park in years so I did a bit of research on the building and realized that there was no shortage of photos of the Neilson House but they were all mostly of similar views and most prominently featured the cannons.

I took a walk around the house and tried to find a composition that was different from what I saw and still included at least a bit of the cannons.

This is definitely a spot that I will revisit again and I would like to return perhaps for a sunrise and in the autumn.

Reflections of Galway Book

I was recently approached by the Galway Central School District to allow use of three of my photos for a book project that some of the Galway High School business students are creating. The project will go to support the Galway Library as well as the students so that they might be able to continue creating projects such as this. I am happy to say that one of my photos was selected to be the cover image. More information about the book can be found here:

http://eaglesmediacenter.com/?p=7798

I urge everyone to take a look at the project and if interested in supporting the Galway Community contact Mr. Mark Swain at mcswain@galwaycsd.org to purchase a copy.

I Didn't Get Rooked at the Rookery

I Didn't Get Rooked at the Rookery, a photo by UpstateNYPhototaker on Flickr.

I went to the Ballston Creek Preserve for the first time tonight. I had read many people talk about it, figured it was close by, so I took a ride over.

I made the short hike to the rookery area and immediately spotted 2 Osprey. As I looked around I began to see multiple Great Blue Heron.

I was surprised to see how close this rookery was to the industrial park and all of the buildings on Route 67. I guess I would have expected a rookery of this expanse to be in a more secluded area.

Initially I wasn't concerned with getting a photo. I was just interested in looking at these great birds. When I raised my camera, with my 80-400, I realized I wasn't going to be able to get a great close up of any of the birds. I looked for some interesting framing in some of the trees and figured I might go home without a good shot. All of a sudden a Heron flew into sight from the left part of this frame and as I squinted into the sun I knew I had a nice opportunity. I would have liked to get this Heron in a better "pose" but perhaps I'll focus on that next time.